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773rd Maintenance Battalion

The 773rd Maintenance Battalion lineage begins with that of the Washington Artillery of New Orleans which, at that time, was the 141st Field Artillery Regiment.

In the latter part of 1939 and early 1940, german armored units overran a large part of Europe. As a means of combating these german tank successes, the United States Army directed that on antitank battery be organized and activated within each field artillery battalion. Two such batteries were organized with the 141st Field Artillery Regiment and pursuant to Executive Order No. 8618, the 141st was inducted into federal service on 13 January 1941.

In preparation for the Louisiana Maneuvers, the unit was supplemented with platoons to form the 73rd Provisional Antitank Battalion. Eight days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, that battalion was reorganized and redesignated the 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion. The battalion's coat of arms was approved 11 September 1942. The unit motto "Fit Via Vi", "The way is made by force", distinctly stated the purposeful determination of this armed unit. The unit completed its training in England and disembarked on the coast of Normandy 7 August 1944. During the next two years the presidentially decorated unit served gallantly and is credited with participation in the northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and central Europe campaigns. During its 254 days in combat, in direct contact with the enemy, the battalion destroyed 113 tanks, 25 self-propelled guns, and 105 pillboxes. The battalion also captured 1970 prisoners of war.

The units official location was changed to Pineville, Louisiana on 1 May 1978 and later it was redesignated the 773rd Maintenance Battalion.

The mission of the 1087th is to provide transportation for the movement of non-containerized cargo and personnel by motor transport. The unit converted from a Medium Truck Company equipped with M915 Tractors and M872 Trailers to the Palletized Loading System.

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 165th Transportation Battalion on 21 Jan 1982. The insignia was redesignated for the 773d Maintenance Battalion, with description and symbolism revised, on 19 May 1993. It consists of a Blue disc surmounted throughout by a saltire divided per saltire with Red at top and bottom, and Green at either side, and centered thereon a Gold tiger's head interlaced with a Yellow fleur-de-lis; attached below a Gold scroll inscribed "LES CHARROIS" in Blue. The disc, suggesting wheeled vehicles, and the saltire, alluding to a crossroads, symbolize the transportation mission of the former organization. Participation in four campaigns during World War II (Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and, Central Europe) is denoted by the points of the saltire and the fleur-de-lis. The combined fleur-de-lis and tiger's head are symbolic of French heritage and the military tradition of the state of Louisiana. Scarlet and green refer to the French Croix de Guerre with Palm awarded to the unit for World War II action in the Moselle and Saar River valleys, and the blue disc is the color of the Presidential Unit Citation awarded for Argentan-Falaise action, also in World War II.